This is the first XUS Conference - following in the venerable foot steps of the NEXUS CONFERENCES, presented by Duncan Roads for over 25 years. Sadly there is NO Nexus Conference this year so a highly creative and motivated team thrown themselves into action to do something about this.

3D Printing is a groundbreaking technology that is supporting and disrupting many industries around the world. This workshop will introduce you to 3D printing and the technical skill of operating the machines on offer at Makers Place

Learn the basics of programming electronics with the popular Arduino platform! This free workshop will teach you what Arduino is, how to get started coding lights and sounds, plus demos of the types of projects Arduino is used for.

Looking fabulous this Mardi Gras starts at COMMUNE Makers Place! We're teaming up to serve enthusiastic Mardi Gras punters with cutting edge equipment, up-cycled materials and experienced makers all within the walls of an inner west warehouse.

If you're looking for learning informally about electronics in a social setting, the Electrocraft Meet-Ups is for you!

The Electrocraft meet-ups are organised by Joy Suliman, founder of Irresistible Learning. Joy and others in the group will help you with your projects and share their amazing knowledge. Join us whether you have just started, or want to learn more about electronics. We also welcome experienced electronic makers to mentor the newbies.

Shaped like a workshop, you can come with a project in mind that you want to realise with the help of other makers, or simply come to discover and start to build a project collaboratively while you learn about electronics.

Topics:

Depending on the Meet-Ups, some topics are proposed. You can also find more information here.

Caitlin will teach you how to model your own pendant or ring from experimental materials like clay and plastic for casting in brass. She will be sharing her creative inspiration and design techniques with participants.

The workshop includes all materials and tools, including your design being casted in precious metal (brass).

Completed jewellery will be available for collection 1 week later.

Caitlin's current collection will be on show and available for purchase, if you're looking for unique Christmas presents.

Show & Tell is an event that provides people with an opportunity to formally and informally showcase their projects and the processes of making.

This month we have two wonderful Makers joining us to discuss very different, but equally amazing projects!

Caitlin Dubler, jewellery maker & designer, will be taking us through the process of her jewellery making, Alexey Vlaskin, software engineer, will tell us about the process of making a WIFI Air Monitor, andRob Caslick, engineer, will be talking to us about the design process for his sign making and asking for help with prototyping,

To celebrate Newtown Festival Makers Place will be partnering with Commune to showcase the potential of 3D Printing!

Doors open at 10am until 2pmThis is a FREE event and kid freindly!

Whats On?- Makers Place open house - Learn about our association and sign up to be a member to unlock $30,000 worth of equipment- Learn about this ground breaking technology called 3D printing - Participate in a group build of a huge 3D printed geodesic dome- Buy 3D printed jewlery from local designer Caitlin Dubler

***The first 4 people to arrive win a 3D printed object (We will help you design it as well!)

We are once again bringing together people with disabilities and makers to innovate Assistive devices. All projects are things used by people with disabilities all over the world, so if we can create an open-source design for these you have the opportunity to have a big, worldwide positive impact.

Time: 9am - 4pm

Address:Micheal Crouch Innovation Centre @ University of New South Wales Kensington, NSW. Enter via gate 2 on High Street, Kensington. The location is on ground floor of Building E10

This month we are following on with the problems we uncovered at previous events See below for description of projects.

The Boccia Ramp

We are working on a design that would let people who can't lean forward, play. Solving this won't only help Kylie who attended our event, the director of Boccia Australia has confirmed this is a big issue for a lot of good players not only Kylie. Kylie's key issues are:

1. She's unable to release the ball from a lower position, so need a way to be able to slow the ball down.

2. She needs a way to line-up the ramp to aim the ball in the right direction. The $4000 ramp has a swivel which works well, but Kylie's wooden ramp does not.

3. She needs a way to ensure the ball runs as straight as possible after leaving the end of the ramp

The Switch/PC Interface

Per input from experts Kylie and Marusha, the draft requirements for a useful ability switch are:

1. Shall be small so that it can be positioned in the hand.

2. Shall be attachable to the hand, for example by a velcro strap, so that it does not fall off or misalign at any time.

3. Shall activate when squeezed by the hand. 4. Shall activate when pressed or banged onto a surface.

5. Should be usable as a hand attached or foot attached switch.

6. Shall have Bluetooth capability in order to communicate with an iPad.

7. Shall be wireless (no wires for communication or power) from the wheelchair to the iPad or PC.

8. Shall be battery powered.

9. Shall not need to be recharged more than once per day with normal usage, if powered by a rechargeable battery.

10. Shall have a programmable / changeable function for the switch, for example a keyboard keypress, mouse click or media button.

11. Shall have electronics and software that is reusable in alternative multi-switch ability switch designs.

12. Shall be an open source design that can be constructed by makers using purchasable components or modules.

3D Scanned/Printed Ankle Foot Orthotics

There are around 3000 people in NSW alone who need Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFOs). It can take 10 months just to get an appointment with a hospital, cost starting from $700 per foot, and take 2-3 more months to make the AFO!

We want to see if we can do better. On the day we want to see if we can 3D Scan and then 3D Print an AFO. We are very fortunate to be joined by a Physio Therapist specialising in Orthotics and a professional Orthotist who will guide us.

Ability Maker events are a great way to learn about design and technology. The events are really fun, we eat pancakes make long lasting friendships and help people have a more normal life.

If you're looking for opportunities to learn informally in a social setting our monthly Show & Tell meetup, is for you!

This event serves local Makers with a great opportunity to give and take expertise, advice, inspiration and feedback. We invite people to come and share their projects and knowledge with you by delivering a presentation or demonstration. As a result of previous events people have joined forces and started collaborative projects together.

Our goal is to facilitate innovation & local connectivity.

Format:

Presenters are given 15mins to introduce themselves and their project. We will then hand it over to the audience for 10 mins of question time and 5 mins of feedback time.

Topics:

In past months we have seen projects from people with backgrounds in science, technology, engineering, arts , design and sustainability.

We will be having volunteer training/ meet and greet on Saturday the 19th from 12-2pm and Wednesday the 23rd from 6-8pm. If you're interested in becoming a volunteer or are an existing volunteer, please RSVP to support@makersplace.org.au (Steph) by Thursday the 17th with your name and preferred date.

Event breakdown:Mel will discuss the vision and values of Makers Place. We will then go over general housekeeping and systems, and you will have an opportunity to nominate the tasks, duties and timeframes you'd like to do.

On the 18th of July we'll be partnering with Laneway Learning to hold a Balloon Mapping event. The event will be held prior to our Show and Tell event and will involve attaching a camera to a balloon and taking photos of the ground.

The aerial images can be used to study and monitor natural resources, humanitarian issues and the built environment or be used in artworks and projects that require a different perspective.

Join Irresistable Learning and Three Farm for a full day of hands on making. Learn to inspire children and young people with educational activities that engage their heads, hearts and minds.

In this workshop you will:

Be introduced to 3D printing

Participate in circuit building and hacking activities

Discover the secrets of how to run a successful maker workshop

Walk away with templates for running activities in your library, community centre or school

Understand how to resource and setup 3D printing and circuit building workshops in your organisation

9:15am - Registration

9:30am - 11:00am - 3D Printing, hands on activity. We will be producing an object for aiding people with disability.

11:00am - 12:30pm - What it takes to run a good 3D printing program based on concepts of design thinking.

12:30pm - 1:30pm - Lunch (Provided)

1:30pm - 3:00pm - Papercraft and hacked circuits. Take home your sculptures that light up and sing, made from simple materials.

3:00pm - 4:30pm - Learn how to develop and run activities that are powered by fascination, promote discovery and real skills, and feel like play.

Important Information:

Please bring along a laptop. We will be working in with a couple of basic softwares for the 3D printing section of the day. If you dont have access to a laptop please let us know and we will arrange a device for you.

We will be providing morning tea and lunch, if you have dietry requirements no problem, just let us know.

There are ONLY 12 spaces avalible for this event. Get in early to join in on the fun!

FAQs

What are my transport/parking options getting to the event?

We recommend you take public transport or car pool. The closest train station is Petersham. Makers Place is located in the heart of the Italian Forum Leichhardt, there is underground paid parking availble in the Forum Carpark.

What can/can't I bring to the event?

Please bring pens, notpads and a laptop. We will be working in with a couple of basic softwares for the 3D printing section of the day. If you dont have access to a laptop please let us know and we will arrange a device for you.

Where can I contact the organiser with any questions?

Melissa Fuller - mel@threefarm.com

Joy Suliman - joy@irresistiblelearning.com.au

Is my registration/ticket transferrable?

Yes if you would like to transfer your ticket to someone else in your orgaisation, this is fine, just let is know.

Do I have to bring my printed ticket to the event?

No we will have your name recorded at the door.

What is the refund policy?

If an emergency situation arises where you cannot attend we would appreciate if you contacted us asap. We will only issue refunds 48 hours prior to the event for cases that cannot be avoided.

If you have any further questions please don't hessitate to contact us.

The folks at Laneway Learning and Makers Place are collaborating on some guerrilla education this May.

This class will highlight what we are all about - Making for social & environmental good!

When: Wednesday, May 13th 7:00pm to 8:15pm

Cost: $14

Whats it all about:

As 3D printers become more sophisticated and affordable and a number of patents expire, their potential to assist in response to global development and humanitarian challenges increases dramatically. Already 3D printers have been used to print low-cost soft-tissue prosthetics and medical supplies and efforts are underway to make it possible to print solar panels, greenhouses, dental implants, and more.

What we will cover:

– Inspiring case studies and history of the technology

– Applications and materials

– Commercial vs consumer technologies

– What trends that are driving this revolution

– What is CAD design

– Functions of a 3D printer

There will be 3D printers set up for you to see in action and an opportunity to discuss what you would like to make with a 3D printer and Melissa will give you feedback on the feasibility.

Who will be teaching:

Melissa from Three Farm will be introducing us to the world of 3D printing. Three Farm facilitates cultural engagement though the marriage of digital and tradition fabrication as a platform for teaching design.

Spaces are limited - For more information and registration please visit: Laneway Learning

In an environment saturated with images, Head On Photo Festival cuts through the clutter and shows what’s worth seeing.

Head On Photo Festival is the nation’s most prestigious showcase for global photography. This year Leichhardt Library is proud to be hosting five photographers in this year's Head On. The works will be on exhibition across two venues - Leichhardt Library and the Actors Centre Australia in the Piazza Level of the Italian Forum.

The interactive activities are happening across the Piazza at Makers Place.

Class Description:3D Printing is a 30 year old technology which most people still no very little about. This course will help you to understand this now rapidly growing industry, help you make informed decisions about their functions and the role they'll play in making our future more sustainable. It is primarily non-technical so anyone can join in, learn or use the notes as stepping stones with their own 3D Printer or 3D printers at Makers Place.

Mat Danic is the owner of MADMAT 3D Printing. His motivations for teaching is to share great ideas and practices to the masses allowing for a better future today! To live sustainably is a great way to be and he wants others to join in on it. His knowledge in 3D Design, Scan and Print is advanced and primarily all self-taught. Mat has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UOW and is a commercial member of Makers Place.

Learn what is takes to build robots in a 9 week course with ROBOT E SHOP

This robot course is designed for people aged 8 and over who have had no prior experience with robotics but would like to learn how to build and program a robot.

Each week participants will build and program a different robot which will aid them in learning different components and programming techniques using an easy to learn block-based programming system.

Each lesson will run for 2 hours on Sunday mornings for 9 weeks. In the last week, participants will apply the skills and knowledge they have gain to build and program a robot of their own design to complete a challenge set for them.

Number of Lessons: 9

Dates: Every Sunday from 26th April 2015 until 21st June 2015

Times: 10am until 12pm (2 hours per lesson)

Venue: The course will be conducted at MakersPlace which is located in Shop 38 Ground Floor, Italian Forum, 19 - 23 Norton St, Leichhardt New South Wales 2040.

DescriptionComputer Aided Design (3D Design) allows you to concept and share your ideas with others. 3D Printing is a great tool to bring these ideas to life, and there are a ton of FREE Designs online being shared right now, but knowledge of CAD unlocks their full potential. You will need a basic knowledge on how to use computers to make the most of this class but you can also see this class as a great way to meet up and coming designers and people with 3D Printers.

* If you are a member of Makers Place Incorporated you are illegible to a 10% discounted ticket. Please email info@makersplace.org.au to receive your unique promotion code.

Take Homes:

*FREE Print setup consultation of your design (usually $20)

LIVE Demonstrations of 3D Printers, 3D Pens and Polymorph.

Information on all major FREE CAD design software

Knowledge of how to use 123D Design, Catch and Meshmixer

Awareness on more advanced tools to investigate after the class

Links to different softwares to suit whatever you’re designing

*FREE Print must be within 8cm3 and printed in Standard ABS Colours. Or FREE Print can be used as direct credit with MADMAT 3D Printing for a larger print. Any other limitations can be enquired about directly via info@madmat3dprinting.com.au

Mat Danic is the owner of MADMAT 3D Printing. His motivations for teaching is to share great ideas and practices to the masses allowing for a better future today! To live sustainably is a great way to be and he wants others to join in on it. His knowledge in 3D Design, Scan and Print is advanced and primarily all self-taught. Mat has a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from UOW and is a commercial member of Makers Place.

Join us for a day of building up-cycled aquaponics, as we convert pallets & drums into beautiful high-producing urban gardens! We'll run through the principles of aquaponics, how to safely up-cycle wood for outside use, and how to maintain a system. There's a free option for the course if you just want to attend and participate without taking the system home at the end of the day. We've happily prepare the collect and prepare the wood if you don't have the equipment to restore wood!

This workshop is a collaboration between BioFoundry, Sydney's first open access molecular biology lab and Biohack Space, ThreeFarm and Makers Place. The workshop is part of an initiative to get Makers and Hobbiest sharing their passions with their communities!

Aquaponics is a food production system that combines hydroponics and aquaculture. By replicating how nutrients are recycled in the environment, plants grow in a substrate which is being cycled with water from a fish tank. Not only do the plants grow several times quicker, but the fish waste is being taken up by the plants in a closed loop system.

Aquaponics is an extremely sustainable way of producing large amount of plants. Because the plant roots are bathed in nutrierts and water with little energy needed for root growth, plants grow several times faster than standard soil growth. Unlike normal hydroponics, the nutrients coming from fish waste reduce the need to use expensive and environmentally unsustainable fertilisers.

Why Up-Cycled?

There is a global movement of sustainability which rejects our reliance on landfill and wastage for more environmentally sustainable methods of production. While wood is the most convenient and versatile method for building, the detrimental effects of deforestation are obvious. To many people, wooden pallets are the epitome of the problem, as you can't look anywhere without seeing decaying pallets destined for the tip. However, using pallets as building materials can be quite difficult given the wide variety of types, issues of contamination, and turning the wood into something that you'd like to have around the house.

In the course we're using European Standard hardwood pallets which are heat treated and not treated with chemicals. Each piece of wood is cut to size, sanded a few times, cleaned, disinfected and varnished with a few layers of linseed oil to keep the moisture out & bring out the colour of the wood.

The System

We recognise that many people don't have all the tools or time to prepare the wood into the parts of the Aquaponic system, so we've done it for you. Here's a quick list of what's included:

All the wood, cut, sanded & varnished! (upcycled)

Growbed & Fishtank (upcycled)

Pump

Plumbing

Screws

An afternoon of help putting them together

The only things not included is the grow media, fish, and plants as different people will have different preferences.

If you just want to come along and learn, then jump in now and secure one of the limited "by donation" tickets. The paid ticket options provides everything from the "by donation" ticket AND you can keep this amazing upcycled, DIY home aquaponics system!

Makerspaces, Hackerspaces, Fab Labs, 3D Printing and Digital Technology - it's already happening, now it's time to MAKE it happen in your community!

Joy Suliman from Irresistible Learning and Mel Fuller of Makers Place are teaming up to present this professional development event. We want to share with libraries, community, and arts organisations how to bring what's best about maker culture into community engagement and learning programs.

Join us and our amazing speakers for a robust and purposeful dialogue about Maker Culture. We will be sharing our best practice examples, tips, networks, and lessons learned from experience.

The Makers Place Show ‘n’ Tell, fosters co - creation, sustainability, innovation, knowledge & skill sharing and community building. This event provides local Makers with an opportunity to give and take expertise, advice, inspiration and feedback. If you are currently working on a project or you are looking to collaborate with fellow Makers we welcome you in for our open day.

Throughout the afternoon Makers will be showing of their projects and telling us about the process they are taking to make it.

Coinciding with LOST leichhardt Makers Place is hosting the Planks to Portraits workshop, a fun painting and writing workshop run by local artist Anna Mango and writer Bernard Cohen from the Writers Workshop. Makers Place will be hosting this interactive, fun and educational session. Kids will get into painting their planks into portraits with Anna and then write about their artwork with Bernard. After the workshop the planks and stories will be exhibited in the Forum.

During the LOST weekend Yasmin Smith's Broomsphere will be exhibited in the Italian Forum, next to Makers Place. Yasmin Smith is a local sculptor and ceramicist, whose deep interest in art, object design and object theory feeds in both her sculptural works and her involvement in Makers Place. At Makers Place, Leichhardt's newest not-for-profit community workshop, Yasmin's passion for socially oriented design, creativity and education has been given a platform.